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High resolution camera phones indirectly helping the camera industry: Canon India CEO

Company looks to double SLR sales this year

Arnab Dutta New Delhi
Electronic goods major Canon India, which sold products worth Rs 2,000 crore in 2014, expects its revenue to touch Rs 2,300 crore by end-2015.

The company is banking on the 20% of the high-end smart phone uses in the country who, Canon believes, are ready to switch to digital cameras for better quality of pictures.
 
According to Kazutada Kobayashi, president and chief executive officer, Canon India, the boom in smart phones with high resolution cameras is indirectly benefiting camera industry in India by developing a “culture of taking pictures”.

“India is still a low-key market compared to matured markets like Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong or Europe”, he said. But the trend of capturing more high resolution pictures is leading to dissatisfaction among a section of the smart phone users.
 
“The culture of photography” is going to benefit camera industry in the country, Kobayashi believes.  According to him, the industry of processing and printing of high quality image needs to evolve in India too. And Canon is eyeing these segments as well.

While, the company has set up some 150 stores to promote and sell its cameras and printing solutions across the country, it aims to open another 50 stores by the end of 2015. These stores apart from selling Canon products will act as centers of customer involvement and awareness activities.
 
While, Canon today launched ultra-high definition camcorders and 50.6-megapixel, high resolution, cameras in India, Kobayashi believes the country is not yet ready for products meant for “mature markets”. “Products like mirror-less cameras account for 33% of sales in Japan”, he said, but “India (market) needs to reach a certain level (of maturity) before we can introduce such products”.
 
The company aims to double its sales in the “niche market” of SLR cameras by this year to 4,00,000 units from 2,00,000 units in 2012. According to Kobayashi, penetration of digital cameras in India is less than 20% of the “households who can afford” compared to some 300% in Japan.
 

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First Published: Jun 09 2015 | 2:38 PM IST

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